


Den Mother

by Ydnam



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-26
Updated: 2013-03-26
Packaged: 2017-12-06 13:52:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/736405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ydnam/pseuds/Ydnam
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Granny decides everyone else in the town is an idiot and goes to free Belle from the hospital herself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Den Mother

“I went to visit Belle today,” Ruby said as she hung up her coat at the diner.

“How is the poor girl?” Granny didn’t look up from the paperwork in front of her.

“Still confused,” Ruby said. “She keeps insisting she saw magic, or something like it and we-”

“She did see magic.” Granny set her pen down and looked at Ruby. “What’s the problem there?”

“We thought it would be easier,” Ruby said, “if we didn’t tell her about magic just yet. She keeps getting so upset and then the nurse has to sedate her.”

“You thought wrong, you idiot girl. Of course she’s upset. You keep lying! You of all people know better than to hide the truth to protect someone!”

Ruby flinched. “But Granny she doesn’t understand and what if-”

“So you explain! Over and over, if you have to. You don’t leave her to be drugged and lied to. I raised you better than that. Or I thought I did.” Shaking her head, Granny pulled her coat off the hook behind her and stomped towards the door. “Watch the diner.”

Ruby stared after her grandmother in confusion and continued staring even after the echoes of her car’s engine had faded. She’d tried to help Belle. Hadn’t she?

**  
“WHALE!”

“Mrs. Lucas,” the doctor said evenly. He wasn’t scared of her. Much. At least not on his own turf.

“I want to take the French girl home with me.”

“Mrs. Lucas, you know I can’t release her to anyone other than next of kin and even if I could, she’s not well.”

“Don’t start following regulations now, Whale. It doesn’t suit you. And you know she’ll be better off somewhere that isn’t here.”

Victor’s mouth twitched slightly. Regulations and proper procedures were hardly his favorite thing. Belle wasn’t making any improvements while in the hospital. At least not that he knew of. He probably ought to have checked on her today. Or yesterday.

“Are you sure about this Mrs. Lucas?”

“Would I have dragged myself down here to this miserable place if I weren’t sure?” Granny’s eyes narrowed. “Are you going to release the poor child or am I going to have to do something drastic?”

Victor put his hands up in surrender. “No ma’am.”

“Good boy,” Granny said with a nod. “I didn’t want to walk back out to the car to get the crossbow.”

**

“I can go?” Belle asked. Except, Granny noted, she still wasn’t Belle. Belle, in the short time she’d known her, had never sounded so nervous and unsure of herself.

“You don’t have to stay here,” Granny confirmed. The nurse hovering in the doorway looked as if she wanted to say something until Granny’s glare fell on her and she took an involuntary step backwards.

“I…don’t know where to go.” The girl looked so lost.

“You can come with me, if you like. We’ve got plenty of empty rooms at the inn. Or I’ll take you somewhere else if you’d rather.” She wasn’t sure where else the girl would want to go. Her father was out of the question after the stunt he’d pulled at the mines and there was a crossbow to make sure he kept his distance if need be. Gold had run off to parts unknown and the poor girl had enough problems as it was without him hovering over her and frightening her more than he already had. And the man would hover during his every waking moment, she was sure of it, if Belle were in his care. “You had an apartment by the library. You can go back there if you’d prefer to be on your own.”

“No!” The denial was quick and fierce. “Not alone. Please?”

“Then we’ll set you up at the inn with me and Ruby.” Granny nodded, satisfied. “Get your things together and we can get out of this place.” She wrinkled her nose. This hospital smelled of all manner of unpleasant things and the sooner the both of them were breathing clean air the better.

Belle, who still hadn’t given another name she wanted to be called as far as Granny knew, nodded and picked up what meager belongings she had collected during her too-long stay here. The book Ruby had brought, still unread, went into the purse she’d come in with and then she stood expectantly by the door. She didn’t have anything else besides the phone she had kept close by ever since that disturbing call from the man who said he loved her. She hadn’t mentioned that to anyone else yet. She wasn’t sure she would. His words had been for her, or his idea of her, and not for anyone else, even if he was dead or still dying somewhere. Whale had, after a demand from Granny that had almost sounded like a request, found her a set of scrubs to wear since noone had bothered to bring the girl any of her own clothes.  
**  
They drove back in silence. Belle stared out the window, hands fidgeting with a fold in the too-large scrubs she wore. Granny only spoke when she pulled up in front of the library. “We can go up and get some clothes and things if you want. Or I’ll send Ruby later. Though with that girl’s fashion sense I’d be worried what she might bring back.”

“No. We can go up.” She would rather see this apartment that was supposed to be hers with company. And Dr. Whale had said something about familiar objects triggering memories. She didn’t believe that was going to happen but she thought it would probably be better to have someone else there with her if it did.

Nothing in the apartment looked familiar. Not the books lying on the bedside table or the clothes neatly arranged in the closet or the unwashed teacup in the sink. Nothing looked like it was hers. She just grabbed clothes off hangers and out of drawers and stuffed them into the bag Granny had thoughtfully provided. After a moment’s hesitation the book by the bed went into the bag as well.

“We can always come back if you think of anything else you want,” Granny said. “Let’s get you settled into a room before the dinner rush.”  
**

The room was just as unfamiliar as the hospital and the apartment had been but it was a comfortable sort of unfamiliarity. She wasn’t expected to know this room and for that Belle was grateful.

“Now,” Granny had told her. “You stay up here if you like or come down to the diner. Another pair of hands wouldn’t go amiss or you can sit and eat some real food instead of whatever they fed you in that hospital.”

Belle had smiled faintly at that and admitted she was a little hungry.

“And you have any questions about anything, girl, you ask me. Ignore my granddaughter and the rest of them. They thought they were doing you a kindness. They’re idiots, the lot of them, but they meant well.”

“They lied,” Belle said flatly. “And they let that nurse drug me. It doesn’t matter what they meant.”

“It might later,” Granny told her. “First thing’s first and that’s dinner.”


End file.
